The Affair
by Sticcup
Summary: Just as Astrid is about to wed her longtime boyfriend Eret, she finds herself embarking on a sexual journey with her newly divorced neighbor Hiccup Haddock. Warning: Domcup, infidelity and unadulterated smut. Sequel to Shameless.
1. Chapter 1

It had been a year since the divorce was finalized. Hiccup had managed to get the apartment back and tried to lay low for a while.

He had not contacted Heather since their last public quarrel but did stumble into her deranged brother a few times and nearly got himself punched in the face. Heather may have moved on with her life but her brother still held an obvious grudge against Hiccup.

It was a warm day so Hiccup decided to spend his working hours in his balcony in his boxers. He briefly wondered if anyone could see him but shrugged it off to bask in the sun. Nearly an hour passed until he heard the balcony door on the neighbouring apartment open up. Eret stepped out, also wearing naught but undergarments and stretched. Hiccup offered him a nod of acknowledgement before returning to the type on the laptop sitting on his lap.

His fingers scratched over his beard subconsciously when the words on the screen began to grow blurry and he decided he needed to take a break. He went back inside to get a cold beer but when he returned, Eret was nowhere to be found. His eyes instead found themselves boring into Astrid in her sexy red bikini. His mouth went dry. Her hourglass body looked so tight and ravaging. Her bikini bottoms barely covering her ass cheeks and her breasts jiggling as she bent forward. She could have easily been mistaken for a swimsuit model right off Sports Illustrated.

"Great day, huh?" His attempts at small talk were met with silence as Astrid simply shook her head and then stepped back indoors. Hiccup frowned. It seemed like Heather had turned him into the least desirable man on the planet. Women weren't even willing to speak to him anymore. He was curious about what Heather might have told Astrid specifically. Whatever it was, it could not have been anything positive considering the sudden cold shoulder he was receiving from her.

Aside from his failed plan to connect with the beautiful blonde, Hiccup felt like he had been doomed for a life in solitude.

xoxo

 _"...Hello, this is Cami. Please leave a message-"_

Hiccup angrily flung the phone on the bed. He had tried calling several times but she rarely picked up. The only one who had bothered to speak to him was Adelaide. It had been a short conversation as she had a boyfriend now and she ended up telling to lose her number.

Hiccup groaned, feeling the loneliness sting him. Deciding to head off to work, he reluctantly grabbed his house keys and phone before stepping out the door.

While he was locking up, the door on the other end flung open and Eret stepped outside.

"Hey," he said, smiling politely.

Hiccup nodded at him. They stepped down the stairs side by side.

"How is the wedding coming along?" Hiccup chuckled awkwardly.

"Fine," Eret shrugged. "Astrid is more stressed out about it than I am. But you know how women are.."

"Yeah.."

Their exchange didn't last long before they parted ways. It was when Hiccup arrived by his car he realized he had left behind the car keys behind. "Fuck!" he muttered and then ran back inside.

When he made it to his floor he realized the door of Astrid and Eret's apartment was still wide open. He suddenly saw Stormfly run up to him which meant...

"Astrid. Hey! I mean, hi Astrid-"

"Please tell me you are not going to go; hi, Astrid. Hi, Astrid. Hi, Astrid again," she cut him off with a smirk. "It was only sort of endearing the first time sans the caveman beard."

Hiccup scratched the back of his head self-consciously, feeling his face heat up. "Sorry."

Astrid turned around to lock up her apartment before bending down to gather Stormfly in her arms.

"Where are you taking her?" His curiosity got the best of him.

Astrid smiled down at the cat. "The vet. She needs to get an injection."

"Ah," Hiccup nodded, pursing his lips. "Good luck Stormfly," he grinned at her and earned himself a chuckle from Astrid.

Hiccup forgot about the damn car keys in that moment and decided to follow her down the stairs.

"Astrid, there is something I have been meaning to ask you," he decided to go straight to the point. "What did Heather exactly tell you about our situation?"

Astrid halted, looking at him with mild surprise. "Why?"

Hiccup sighed, eyes cast downwards. "It's just.. you don't seem to want to talk to me anymore.."

She snorted with a wry smile. "Maybe because I barely know you." They proceeded to step down the stairs. "I don't tend to get up close with strangers."

"We have been neighbours for almost two years now," he said quietly. "I don't consider you a stranger."

Astrid didn't speak, pursing her lips.

"I mean, it's fine if you do. I just.. it's not like I have many friends left. Everyone sided with Heather, even my own damn parents."

When they reached the front door of the building, she paused.

"Tell you what Haddock.. Meet me in the park tomorrow and I will brief you in on what Heather told me."

He managed a timid smile and nodded.

xoxo

They sat across from a playground in the park filled with kids and ate ice cream. Hiccup being the vanilla man he was went with classic flavour while Astrid enjoyed her mango sorbet. Hiccup couldn't help but admire the way her golden strands fluttered in the midsummer breeze. She was quite exquisite. They were both casually dressed but he had finally shaved off his beard, looking more like his old self and less like a depressed caveman.

"When is the wedding?"

Astrid pretended to think heard for a moment. "Why? Are you fishing for an invitation?" she joked.

He shrugged. "Just curious."

"This fall," Astrid took another spoonful of her sorbet before continuing. "Eret thinks I'm stressing too much over it but I just want it to be perfect."

She looked deep in thought, most likely thinking about her husband to be.

"The perfect fairytale ending," Hiccup teased. "It always seems too good to be true in the beginning when you are blissfully oblivious to each other's flaws."

"Eh, I have known Eret for a while so I am well aware of all his flaws. We wouldn't be taking this huge leap if we weren't completely sure about each other."

Hiccup licked his lips, feeling a foreign pain sting him. "You are lucky. Not everyone finds their true love."

Astrid smiled to herself. "I know." Her facial expression then turned serious. "Did you and Heather love each other at some point?"

Hiccup laughed. "I don't know about her but I used to blindly follow her around until the blindfolds fell off. That's when I realized how stagnating our relationship was. She wasn't ever happy and the entire marriage started to feel like a lie. I almost forgot why I married her in the first place."

"Which was?" Astrid prompted.

"She was the only girl to ever pay me attention even if it was because of personal ulterior motives. I didn't think I would find anyone else," he confessed. "She saw how insecure I was and took advantage of it. How could someone like me say no to a girl out of his league?"

There was a quiet moment, only the sounds of children's shrills filling up the air.

"Heather told me you made her feel guilty about being depressed. You always thought she was lying even when she was telling the truth."

Hiccup squinted his eyes shut, trying to calm the anger welling up inside him. "That couldn't be farther from the truth," he said. "I was there for her as long as I could, even if it cost me my dreams and sanity. I only stopped when she started to guilt trip and manipulate me," he sighed. "And she did lie.. a lot. I don't think she can even help it, lying has always been like a second nature to her."

"How do I know if you are the one being honest?"

"You don't.. But it's the truth. Heather has always loved to victimize herself. No matter what she is always the victim and everything is always everyone else's fault. She can do no wrong. Once upon a time even I used to believe that. What a stupid fool I was."

Astrid bit her lip, looking away. "There is a rumor going around that you had a relationship with an eighteen year old girl while you were still married to Heather. Explain that."

Hiccup froze, dread washing over him. _Adelaide._

"Who told you this?"

Astrid furrowed her eyebrows. "Heather," she said, confused.

Hiccup shook his head in disbelief. "But how did Heather know.." His eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Cami," he muttered under his breath.

"So it's true?"

Hiccup nodded. "It wasn't really a relationship.. more like a.. fling. Probably the only part I regret since it cost me my girlfriend." He might not have been in love with Cami but their relationship had felt like a sweet escape from all the gloominess and drama around him.

Astrid looked thoughtful for a moment and then smirked at him. "You can still win her back, you know."

Hiccup stared at her in bewilderment.

"If you truly have changed like you say, you owe it to yourself to find happiness again. Just don't go on about it the way you did the last time. Learn from your mistakes and forgive yourself."

"You really think I deserve a second chance?"

"I do," she grinned. "The same thing happened to my parents but they got back together again and are now stronger than ever."

He suddenly felt like some pressure was lifted off of his chest. "She isn't answering my calls anymore."

"Give her some more time, I'm sure she will speak to you when she is ready. Even if it doesn't work out, at least you tried."

He stared at her, eyes twinkling with mirth and a foreign feeling.

"So how did you and Eret meet?" He decided to change the subject.

Astrid placed the empty ice-cream cup on the bench between them and crossed her arms around herself. "He was my superior while I was serving in the military."

"Oh." Hiccup appeared mildly surprised. He knew she had joined the military at nineteen but he never figured that's where she had met Eret. If he had not given up on his own dreams because of Heather, he might have crossed paths with Astrid much earlier.

"So he is older than you then."

"About five years.. yes."

They continued to smalltalk until the skies turned grey and it began to rain. The timing was however convenient since that's when Eret returned home from work.

xoxo

Hiccup knocked on the front door of the familiar white house. He had decided to take Astrid's advice to heart and try to mend past relations with those he had hurt.

Nearly a minute passed before the door finally opened.

Cami glared at him, crossing her arms across her chest and accidentally diverting Hiccup's attention towards the cleavage peeking out from her low cut.

"What do you want?" she spat coldly.

Hiccup hung his head down in shame before meeting her gaze. "I made a mistake and I regret it every day."

Cami snorted.

Hiccup felt his heart shrink. "For what it's worth I want you to know I'm sorry. So many years of my life have felt like a lie but you.. You were always real to me Cami. I miss you. I miss us. I hope one day you can forgive me."

He looked up at her again but her facial expression remained hard and rigid. Hiccup nodded to himself and decided to make his leave.

"Wait."

He halted, turning around with a hopeful glint.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still angry at you but.." She closed the gap between them, grabbing him by the neck to meet his lips in a passionate kiss.

Hiccup paused slightly in shock for a second before kissing her back.

/-/

Cami bobbed her head up and down his glistening length. Sucking on the head as delicious pre-cum filled her mouth before engulfing his entire cock down her throat. Hiccup groaned loudly stroking her wavy thick hair as she serviced him.

Cami let his cock go with a 'plop' and began dragging her tongue from base to tip and swirling over the sensitive opening. Hiccup gasped, pushing her away before she brought him to climax.

"Lay down," he said softly. She complied and gasped when he slid inside her.

He soon began rocking back and forth, making her trash against the pillows in pleasure.

/-/

"I missed this," Cami confessed, tracing her fingers across his chest.

Hiccup hummed, pulling her closer as they basked in the afterglow.

"I need to tell you something."

"Yeah?"

She shifted slightly so she was looking up at him. "I have met someone new."

Hiccup stiffened. "Oh?"

"Mhm," she said. "It's not serious yet but I'm really starting to fall for him."

There was a long moment of silence before Hiccup forced a smile. "I'm happy for you."

When they parted by the doorway later that night, Hiccup knew it might be the last time he ever saw Cami.

"Thanks for being there for me when I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore," he told her with genuine smile. "Again, I'm sorry for hurting you. It was never my intention."

Cami returned the smile. "I forgive you, and I hope you will find your own soulmate one day."

xoxo

He was sitting on the bench in the park again, staring wistfully into nothingness. He was so far deep in thought, he almost didn't notice that Astrid sat down beside him.

"Haddock?" Her voice startled him.

"Hey Astrid," he greeted her with a smile. She was wearing a blue summer dress which matched her sapphire eyes. Her flaxen her was tied in a high ponytail with loose tendrils hanging down from the sides. His green orbs also unintentionally fell to her deep neckline where the top of her glorious cleavage was peeking out. He quickly averted his gaze before she caught him ogling.

"So how did it go with Cami?" she asked enthusiastically.

He shrugged. "She accepted my apology and we had sex."

She punched him playfully on the arm. "See? I told you it would work out."

Hiccup shook his head. "It's over. She is seeing someone else now."

Astrid looked disappointed. "Oh, I'm sorry. She sounded perfect for you."

For a moment they stared ahead at the sight of kids playing on the playground.

Hiccup grinned. "Was that what you were like as a kid?"

Astrid looked puzzled until she followed his eyeline to see a girl with long blonde hair hanging upside down from the monkeybars.

She let out laugh and scoffed. "Not quite. I was more like that angry girl over there with the stick. Hotheaded and impulsive."

Hiccup's eyes widened in mock-horror. "You? Hotheaded? I would have never thought," he chuckled.

"Shut up!" she grinned. "What about you? Were you always a 'womanizer'?"

Hiccup snorted. "I have only been with three girls in my entire life, that hardly qualifies as a womanizer," he chuckled. "I was bullied through both middle school and high school. I used to be _that_ kid," he said, pointing at a small boy sitting by himself in the sandbox.

"Aw," she teased. "But who knew that kid would end up banging multiple women at the same time one day?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "..And look where it got him in the end."

Astrid offered him a pitiful look. "You poor thing," she patted him on the shoulder and he playfully swatted her hand away.

"At least I got to have sex with Cami again.." he smiled sadly to himself.

"That you did. So how was it?" she joked.

He raised his eyebrows in challenge.

"Eventful," he grinned. He hesitated slightly before uttering his next words. "I.. even fucked her tits."

Just like he had anticipated, Astrid grimaced. "That's.. a thing now?"

"Sure it is," he said and then decided to be a little more daring. "Eret never tried that on you?" His gaze flickered over her sizable chest.

Astrid feigned offence, crossing her arms around herself protectively. "Of course not. Eret is a gentleman." _Well of course he is_ , Hiccup thought to himself sarcastically.

"I was just joking," Hiccup said clearing his throat. "I'm sorry if I crossed a line."

"It's fine. So was I," Astrid chuckled, standing up. "Anyway, I should probably get going now. Talk to you later," she said and began walking off.

Hiccup facepalmed, silently berating himself for what he had said. He felt so at ease with Astrid that he no filter around her. He needed to control himself. She had been his only friend recently and the last thing he wanted was to scare her off.

xoxo

Hiccup sat by an empty bar and sipped on his beer. He had just gotten off work and decided to head out for a drink instead of greeting the loneliness that awaited him at home.

A tall girl slid on the stool next to him. "Hey," she said flirtatiously.

Hiccup looked her over and recognized her immediately. It was Snotlout's ex Ruffnut. Going by her shirt's logo it seemed like she worked here as a waitress.

"Hi," he replied tiredly.

"You don't look very happy," she said and uncrossed her legs revealing no underwear and a clean-shaven pussy. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better, Hiccup?"

Hiccup gulped down the rest of his beer, trying not to reawaken the monster in his pants.

"Nah, I'm good. I think I'm going to head home now," he said with an awkward cough and tried to stand up. But Ruffnut had other ideas in mind.

"Are you sure about that?"

Hiccup gulped but still resisted. "Look Ruff, we are friends and I don't want things to get weird between us."

Ruffnut smirked. "It's just sex Hiccup," she said, squeezing his length through his jeans. "C'mon! Be a little spontaneous."

Hiccup complemented the idea for a moment but then shook his head. He left before Ruffnut got the chance to grope him again.

xoxo

"Astrid?"

She was sitting outside her apartment with Stormfly cuddled on her lap. The cat meowed upon hearing Hiccup's nasal voice.

"I forgot the house keys at home this morning and I'm waiting for Eret to come back from the gym," she explained.

"You could wait for him inside my apartment.." he suggested. Astrid raised an eyebrow. "I will not try anything, I promise!" he swore, throwing his hands up in the air in surrender.

"Okay, I believe you," she laughed and followed him indoors.

Hiccup showed her to his living room before heading to the kitchen to grab them something to drink.

When he returned Astrid was looking at the old pictures on his wall.

"I didn't know you went to Berk High," she observed with a frown. "How come I never saw you back then?"

"My family moved to another city before the first school year was over. I would definitely have remembered you though." He handed her a beer and motioned her to sit down on the couch.

Astrid followed suit, sinking down with a good distance between them.

"So.." she started awkwardly, staring at Stormfly licking her paws on the carpeted floor. "Anything new happened since we last spoke?"

Hiccup took a long sip from his beer and then shook his head.

"Still just as hopeless."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Surely there must have been something all those women saw in you. You just gotta figure out what that is."

Astrid did bring up a valid point.

He knew that Heather had seen him as the perfect pushover she could unload all her baggage on and use for personal gains. Adelaide had fetishized him, deeming him her older man fantasy. Ruffnut mostly wanted to hurt Snotlout. And Cami.. Cami had only wanted him to love her back..

"Thinking about Cami?" Astrid inquired.

Hiccup snapped his head up in surprise. "How did you-?"

"You always get this dazed look on your face when it comes to her," she explained. "I think you still love her."

Hiccup sighed. "That's the thing Astrid. I just couldn't love her enough, I couldn't give her what she wanted. Besides, she is happier now and I don't want to interfere."

There was a heavy moment of silence as they finished up their beers.

Hiccup found the stillness stifling and decided to turn on the TV.

He threw the remote on the table but the surface being as slippery as it was made it land down on the carpet next to where Stormfly rested.

Neither Hiccup or Astrid took notice of the cat playing with the remote until the channel suddenly changed.

What came on made both of them freeze in horror.

It was the porn channel.

 _"Ah! Ah yes! Ahh!" the woman on the screen moaned loudly while her pussy was being speared by a gigantic cock. The man who was screwing her licked the valley between her enormous breasts and latched his mouth onto a rosy nipple. Suddenly another cock appeared and began fucking the woman down her throat._

That's when Hiccup snapped out of his shock and stood up to retrieve the remote from the floor.

But to his utter bewilderment, Astrid's hand stopped him. "Wait! I want to see what happens next," she said as the third man entered the scene.

Hiccup looked at her in confusion but sat down again, occasionally glancing over at her to see her staring intensly at the screen.

 _"Mhmm," the women moaned and the porn scene suddenly changed to her legs spread wide apart while a man licked her pussy. "Oh God, yes!" the woman shouted when fingers began to probe her butthole. The man made slurping sounds indicating that the women was squirting out juice from her pussy._

Hiccup noticed how Astrid had curled her hands on the couch's plaid and how her breath hitched. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest when she licked her lips.

Could it be..?

Could the mighty and prideful Astrid Hofferson be getting turned on in his living room right before his very own eyes?

 _"Feels so good," the nameless woman muttered as the man underneath her pushed his hard rod up her big ass. She leaned back on her hands so her front was facing the camera and began bouncing on the man's thick cock. It didn't take long before a second man joined them and penetrated her from the front so both of her ends were filled with rock hard cock._

Hiccup could feel his own arousal growing and decided to conceal himself with a pillow. He didn't want Astrid to freak out after all.

 _The woman now had one cock buried in her mouth while getting her titties fucked which she had squeezed together with both of her hands. It didn't take long before she was receiving a creamy facial from both of her partners._

Stormfly took this opportunity to jump on the table, making Astrid snap out of her trance and yelp.

Hiccup decided it was the opportune moment to turn the TV off.

"Um.." Astrid blushed as she stood up. "I think Eret has probably come home now," she said and quickly headed for the door.

As soon as she left Hiccup lifted the cushion off his lap and drew a hand over his face.

His dick was painfully hard.

He closed his eyes and imagined Astrid squirming underneath him the way that woman had. He imagined what her pussy looked like and how sweet it would taste.

Before he knew it, he had found his release.

xoxo

Astrid avoided Hiccup for next two weeks and although he could understand why, it still hurt him. He missed their talks and her friendly jabs. She had been his only real friend these past six months and somewhere along the way he had fallen for her.

The first time he saw her again was from his balcony and she was with Eret. They were sitting close by and cuddling. Neither noticed Hiccup and he couldn't bring himself to utter a greeting. Especially when Eret leaned down and kissed her briefly on the lips. He quickly averted his eyes and practically ran back inside, feeling a painful throb in his chest.

He had found the girl of his dreams but she could never be his.

Maybe this was karma for how he had treated Cami.

xoxo

"So what changed your mind?" Ruffnut asked as she licked up and down his length, occasionally grazing the head with her teeth.

Hiccup didn't answer but instead grabbed her by the hair and began fucking her throat.

He could feel Ruffnut choking on his dick but he didn't slow down. Not until he spurted out all his seed, making her start choking again. His cum leaked from the corners of her mouth and Ruffnut tried her best to not let any go to waste.

"Stand up," Hiccup growled. Ruffnut complied and soon found herself lifted onto the kitchen counter. Hiccup placed her legs on his shoulders for a deeper penetration and began moving on a rapid pace. He was slamming so hard into her that the slapping sounds of their fucking could probably reach out to the hallway.

"Fuck!" Ruffnut moaned loudly, loving how deep he was cock was hitting her. She didn't last long and began tightening around his length which pushed him off the edge.

He slackened and rested his face against her chest, his breathing heavy and laboured.

Ruffnut stroke his hair lovingly and Hiccup closed his eyes, pretending for a second he was with a very different blonde.

It didn't last long since Ruffnut voice snapped him back to reality. "Fucking always makes me hungry," she said loudly and picked up his shirt from the floor to wear. "Lets order some pizza."

Hiccup didn't answer, feeling his heart suddenly clench painfully.

This was the best it was going to get for him. He would never be with the woman he fallen for.

"I'm going to go and take a shower," he said instead, leaving for the bathroom before he could break down.

Ruffnut flopped down on the couch and began going through the channels.

xoxo

Someone knocked on the door to his apartment. Hiccup groaned, burying his head under the pillows for a moment. It was probably Ruffnut again and he wasn't really in the mood to hear her complain about her brother.

He didn't understand her insistence to hang out since their relationship was just supposed to be about sex. They were not a couple.

When it knocked again, he grumpily stood up from the bed and pulled on his jeans, not even bothering with a shirt.

"What do you want?" he snapped as soon as he opened the door.

The person on the other end looked taken aback and Hiccup immediately regretted his rude tone. "Astrid?"

Astrid forced a smile, looking away from him. He suddenly realized why. His jeans were sagging down his v-line, barely concealing his private parts. "Sorry," he muttered and zipped his pants up.

"I wanted to talk to you," Astrid explained. "Can we go for a walk?"

Hiccup got an inkling feeling this wasn't going to be something good but nodded.

/-/

He and Astrid walked side by side through the park. The weather was cooler now so they were both dressed in their coats and jeans.

"We are moving away," she announced. "After the wedding."

Hiccup felt his shoulders slump in disappointment. "Where?"

"It's a different city. Closer to Eret's parents house since his mom is sick."

"Oh." Hiccup didn't know what to say so he said nothing.

Astrid stopped up and turned to him with an adorable smile. "I have something for you though," she grinned and began fishing in her bag.

"Is it a wedding invitation?" he joked.

"Not quite," she laughed. "But you are definitely getting one, don't worry."

She pulled out a card with a name, address and a number on it and handed it to him. Hiccup furrowed his eyebrows.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "You said you always wanted to become a pilot and my Uncle Finn used to be an airline pilot. Call him up and he might give you a few tips on how to realize your lifelong dream. He said he might even offer you private solo-lessons."

Hiccup stared at the card in shock. "But am I not too old for this now?"

"You are never too old, Hiccup," she reassured him. "People become pilots at any age."

"Thank you, Astrid," he smiled at her.

"It's no big deal," she shrugged. "So.. who are you bringing to my wedding?"

Hiccup sighed at the painful reminder. "I don't know."

* * *

 **Here is the first part of the first sequel. There will be another chapter or two (depends on how much interest there is) to this but I'm curious about what you guys think so far. Cami is also not quite out of the picture yet.**

 **Please let me know in the reviews what you think will happen next and what you are hoping for. I take your reviews into consideration.**

 **\- Sticcup**


	2. Chapter 2

Hiccup stared at his reflection and found a stranger staring back at him. He blinked, splashing cold water over his eyes to clear away any visible redness. It was a result of staying up too late for the past few days. He had thrown himself into work to distract himself from his wavering emotions. It was better than drinking himself to stupor. Ruffnut had attempted to contact him for hookups and even shown up on his doorstep clad in naught but a dark fur-coat. It still didn't deter him however.

He had ended up bedding her but promised himself this arrangement had now ran its course. Hiccup was determined to give up his old ways and start fresh and anew. It wasn't going to be easy but he had to begin somewhere. Cutting ties with his cousin's vengeful ex felt like the first logical step in the right direction.

On his downtime, Hiccup had also taken up doodling again.

It used to be a childhood hobby he had left behind upon meeting Heather. He knew he couldn't blame her for all his downfalls, it would be unrealistic to do so, but when he had needed someone to rely on and be his rock, he had been met by thin air, and sometimes even the hard ground. While he, on the other hand, cared and worried about her to the point he forgot his own struggles. He had put himself aside for her sake and in the end, he forgot himself and who he used to be.

Some may claim it was a good thing that she had erased away his tragic past, keeping him so hung up on herself that he rarely needed to dwell on anything else. But the problem was, he had felt like he had been suppressing that part of himself instead of coming in terms with it. The painful accident that had cost him half a leg left him and a scar that went far deeper than what the naked eye could detect. When Heather in addition dumped her own personal baggage on him, he had felt both overwhelmed and negated at the same time. It was as if his only purpose was to cushion her falls and take the brunt of all the burdens with no expectation of her paying him the same respect. Heather was a selfish woman by nature and he knew he wasn't much better himself, often resorting to self-pity and pessimism, but at least he had tried to atively be there for her.

Hiccup sighed. _He needed to let this bitterness go._

They had both hurt each other and it had been bound to happen considering the lack of balance in their relationship. He needed to forgive her. It was the only way he could truly move on and be a better version of himself.

Later that afternoon, he laid on his leather couch and drew whatever came to mind.

 _One step at a time._

xoxo

Hiccup and Astrid ran side by side howling in laughter over his earlier clumsiness. He had accidentally knocked down an entire shelf at the superstore they had stopped by. It had led to an embarrassing chain of reactions. He was pretty certain the employees there hated him now.

"Hey, give me some credit! I have a prosthetic foot in case you forgot."

Astrid grinned, shaking her head. "You don't get to blame this one on the foot, Haddock. This was all you."

"Alright, fine. I admit it. I'm a natural walking disaster!"

Although his tone was light and humorous, he carried a rather sullen expression. "All I ever do is screw things up. Or ruin people's lives. That's all I'm good at," he added quietly.

Astrid face softened. "Not true. You made some mistakes but you have also made amends! Besides, I find your lack of coordination kinda adorable. I mean I have never seen a grown man trip over thin air before!" she beamed, giggling again.

He felt himself smile and blush at the same time. "Well, what can I say? I try my best."

Astrid continued to snicker, punching him lightly on the arm.

" _What_?"

"I'm just finding it hard to believe now that you were ever a fuckboy."

"Ha, ha. You are never going to let me live this down are you?"

"Nope."

When they parted ways later on, Hiccup felt as if someone had been watching their encounter.

xoxo

He was sitting on his regular seat in the bar Ruffnut usually worked at. Fortunately she didn't have any shifts today so he wouldn't need to worry about her advances.

It had been weeks since they had slept together and he had not missed her touch one bit. That certainly gave a good indication of how empty their relationship was. There was no emotional connection. At least with Cami he had felt something. He might not have been in love with Cami but he had cared for her deeply. His fling with Ruffnut reminded him rather of all his failures and no matter how good it felt for one blissful moment, he always ended up regretting it afterwards.

It just wasn't worth it.

He pulled forth his phone and flipped through the latest text messages he had received.

One in particular was from Astrid. They had been sending one another cat memes lately.

He opened the MMS and chuckled.

 _God, he still missed Toothless so much._

xoxo

"I think you are getting slower," Astrid teased, running past him.

Motivated by her playful taunt, Hiccup decided to speed up. He caught up with her soon enough and grasped her by the arm. The sudden movement threw both of them off balance and they ended up stumbling down on the grass.

"Seriously, Hiccup!" Astrid huffed, blowing strands of hair off her eyes. While she sounded rather annoyed, her face was anything but. "You are hopeless."

Hiccup grinned at her apologatically. "Are you okay?"

He heard her sigh. "I'm.. fine." She continued to look up at him as his body hovered on top of hers.

They stared at each other for one breathless moment.

Astrid cleared her throat, pushing against his chest so he would move off of her.

"We should probably get going."

Hiccup snapped out of his reverie. "Yeah.. That's uh, what.. I mean exactly what I was gonna-.. Get going!"

He helped her stand up and Astrid ended up punching him lightly on the arm. "Let's go," she smiled and picked up her pace. Hiccup followed suit.

xoxo

"What's the special occasion?"

Hiccup caught up to Astrid as they strolled down the three-story stairs. She was wearing a formal wine-red dress that reached down to her knees, black stilettos, and her golden locks were woven into a pretty bun.

"Dinner party," she sighed. "Eret is waiting outside in the car, I should probably hurry up." She then paused in her step to regard him fully. "I would invite you along but I don't think my parents would approve, or Eret's for the matter," she added with a grin.

"Yeah, can't have some strange man crashing your party," he laughed along. "You look very nice, by the way."

"Thanks." She smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear at the compliment. "You usually clean up pretty well too."

They stared at each other for a tense moment, standing at distance from one another but close enough that Hiccup could make out her freckles and stare deeply into the sapphire pools frowning at him. For some reason, Astrid looked rather conflicted and unsure of herself, almost as if she had something more to say.

Her phone however went off suddenly and the spell broke.

They ended up proceeding down the stairs in silence afterwards

xoxo

Hiccup's chest heaved and tightened as he gasped for air to fill his lungs.

He had been jogging down the block for a perfect twenty minutes and just decided to take a break by a nearby bench. He closed his eyes momentarily and leaned back, letting the cool wind wash over his overheated skin.

Someone seated themselves next to him.

Hiccup didn't open his eyes though, relying on intuition and wishful thinking instead.

"I was hoping to run into you today," he said with a growing smirk. "Figuratively speaking. Literally running into you would be painful and I rather not break my other remaining limbs."

He imagined feminine laughter to follow up. But it never came.

Instead, he heard a snide snort which could have easily been mistaken for a jeer.

"Is that so?"

Hiccup froze. He straightened up immediately to find himself face to face with _Eret_ of all people.

 _Great._

Eret tipped his water bottle flask back to take a large swig. Hiccup decided to follow suit if only to ease up the sudden awkwardness.

He felt slightly self-conscious sitting next to someone who was obviously in much greater shape than he was. Hiccup knew he could never be as ripped as Eret no matter how much effort he put into it, he had always been on the lanky side since birth. He was at least above average in height but that still didn't give him much leverage on Eret as he was just as tall, if not taller. Hiccup sighed to himself.

"Trying to shape up, eh?"

Hiccup snapped his head up in surprise as Eret rarely initiated small talk with him.

The man in question was currently regarding him with a look of curiosity that Hiccup couldn't quite figure out. It wasn't hostile per se but also not very friendly either.

Hiccup shrugged, choosing not to give a verbal response.

"I can offer you a few tips," Eret suggested. "If you want to bulk up."

For some reason, their conversation felt like a deflection. Especially judging by Eret's dry tone.

Hiccup shook his head. "Nah, I'm good. Just needed to clear my head for a bit." It wasn't entirely untrue, he had wanted to freshen up.

The stillness grew thick after that, and they could hear the leaves on the trees fluttering as the wind ruffled them.

"The weather is nice."

It was only midday and baking hot.

"Hmm, yeah.."

Another moment passed before he heard Eret shift in his seat. He had now crossed his arms over his chest in order to look more intimidating and still continued to watch Hiccup like a hawk.

"So I see you have been spending time a lot of time with Astrid lately."

 _And there it was - at last._ The actual reason Eret had sought him out.

"Yeah, about that.. she and her uncle are actually helping me with my PPL."

"She told me as much." There was a moment of dull silence.

Hiccup sighed, pinching his hand nervously before forcing himself to speak.

"You don't have to worry about anything, we are just friends.."

Eret raised an amused eyebrow.

"Oh, I'm not worried," he chuckled, looking over at Hiccup condescendingly. "A scrawny guy like you with a beautiful goddess like Astrid? _Never_ gonna happen dude. Not in a million years."

Hiccup kept his face expressionless, shooting Eret a tight smile.

"Right."

xoxo

Hiccup stayed awake and tried not to let Eret's former words get to him as his ego was beyond deflated at this point.

He had never thought very highly of himself in the first place but the way Eret had spoken to him brought back some unpleasant memories from high school. He had been all but invisible back then while guys like Eret had chased all the pretty girls and fought for popularity.

Hiccup drew a tired hand over his face and turned the lights off.

The next morning, he woke up feeling as gloomy as the weather outside. He definitely didn't want to get up, settling to spend the day drawing in his bed instead.

That had certainly been the initial plan until he received a surprise phone-call from _Cami_.

She was apparently upset about something and currently on her way to see him.

After forcing himself to get up and take a shower, Hiccup hurriedly began cleaning up the apartment as best as he could.

He didn't know how long Cami was considering staying but judging by her hoarse, tear-strained voice, he would guess a sleepover or two were most guaranteed.

xoxo

Hiccup was carrying groceries bags up the stairs when Astrid caught up with him.

"Hi, you." Her smile was bright and infectious. He returned her greeting with as much vigor. "Hello."

"That's a lot of groceries for one person," she noted. "Do you need any help?"

Hiccup shook his head. "I'm fine but thanks for offering."

They had nearly reached their floor when she tapped him on the arm to stop midway.

"You never replied to my text." She looked slightly dismayed.

"The one about the barbecue party on the roof?" Hiccup recalled. " Yeah, I didn't see it until this morning."

"So..?" Astrid prompted hopefully. "Are you thinking of coming?"

Hiccup looked conflicted. "I, err.. have some company over at the moment."

"Then bring her along," she suggested. "Ruffnut.. was it?"

"Actually-"

They had made their way to the top now and Hiccup was fishing for his keys when the door suddenly burst open.

"I was wondering where you disappeared off to!"

Cami wasted no time in pulling him into a passionate make out session, making him drop the bags down on the floor.

Just as quickly, Hiccup broke away, blushing and clearing his throat.

Cami followed his eyeline and suddenly took notice of Astrid's presence behind him.

"Um, Astrid.. this is Cami." Astrid's eyes widened in surprise.

"And Cami, this is my good neighbour Astrid. She is a.. friend." He scratched the back of his head nervously.

Once the shock wore off, Astrid stepped forward and extended her hand. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Cami reluctantly accepted the handshake while throwing Hiccup a confused glare.

* * *

 **I didn't expect the sequel to garner much interest so here is an additional smut-free chapter before the inevitable happens.**

 **Question - Is an emotional affair worse or better than a physical affair? Clearly it's going to be a full-blown affair in this story but I'm curious about other people's opinions on this matter.**

 **\- Sticcup**


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